Is that a JoJo reference?? Yes, Araki's beloved manga series "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" got an animated adaptation so successful that Netflix bought up the production ahead of its 6th season to get exclusive distribution rights. These shoes however, are actually a nod to the design of the character Bucciarati, one of the protagonists of "Part 5: Golden Wind".
The influences that penetrate JoJo's Bizarre Adventure range from classic vampire fiction to tarot cards and divination to rock, metal, and hip-hop musicians, to high fashion. This variety showcases the growth of not just the work, but the artist himself, as a clear reflection of his developing tastes.
Unfortunately, out of fear of potential lawsuits, the translators elected to drop the majority of these allusions: For example, Bucciarati's "superpower" (the simplest way to explain this to someone who doesn't follow the series) is named "Sticky Fingers," after the album by The Rolling Stones. In America, Sticky Fingers is referred to as "Zipperman," a much more literal description of what his "special abilities" are.
Vans is an impressive company. They started up in the 70s and made an effort to cater to the newly developing "skater" demographic that wanted cheap shoes (because they're often torn up in the process of learning and performing tricks against a skateboard's sandpaper-like grip tape) with thin soles to transmit a more tactile feel of the board to the riders' feet.
While Reebok and Nike invested in high-tech materials to make new sneakers for professional basketball players (and those who aspire to be more like them), Vans instead focused on continuing to deliver their already popular products and reinvesting their profits to sponsor skateboarding events, growing their audience.
Today, Vans continues to make variations of those "skateboarding shoes," but they have also expanded their catalogue to include a much wider variety of aesthetic variants, openly accepting those who want to buy "lifestyle shoes," electing to wear something that denotes an awareness of a subculture rather than actively participating in it.
